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Ceremony honors Robertson County vets

Veterans from all over the county gathered at the Historic Springfield Courthouse Thursday for a ceremony in their honor.

Hosted by the Robertson County Veterans Service Office, the event featured a speech by Springfield High School senior and American Legion Boys Nation President Anighya Crocker, who said he believed a veteran's place in society was at the heart of the nation.

“Veterans are the people that gave us this nation and veterans are the people that will keep us this nation,” Crocker said before the crowd of about 100 people.

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Crocker plans to run for the office of Tennessee governor one day and plans to set an example for the rest of the country on how veterans should be treated, he said.

Air Force Veteran Barry Mark, of American Legion Post 45 in Greenbrier, has heard Crocker speak three times and thinks very highly of him, he said.

“I enjoyed his speech, (and) I enjoy just talking to him,” he added.

Mark served in the U.S. Air Force from 1962-1966 and U.S. Air National Guard from 1969-1974 before he spent two years with the U.S. Army Guard, he said.

Crocker will be doing himself a great disservice if he doesn't go into politics, Mark said. The local teen is just what veterans need, he said.

During his speech, Crocker said it was no secret that American veterans have been marginalized.

“The hours are long, the travel is hard and the benefits have been made lesser and lesser,” he said.

But despite those detriments, many veterans remain steadfast in their love of the United States, Crocker said. They believe it is worth fighting for, and many of them would be willing to go back and serve all over again, he said.

American Legion Post 45 Adjutant Barbara Connelly served in the U.S. Army from 1994-1996 and the Kentucky National Guard from 1997-1999, she said.

“It’s an honor to have a community that supports their vets as strongly as this one does,” Connelly said.

Originally from Tallahassee, Fla., Connelly has been living in Greenbrier for the past three years, she said.

On Thursday, she said it was refreshing to see veterans come together and gain support from the community.

Reach Brittney L. Jackson at 615-384-3567 or on Twitter @britt_lacole.